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Day
eight - 11th December - South Shetland Islands - last shore landings
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Kelp
Gull
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A
Penguin Rookery
The South Shetland Islands lie off the north west of the Antarctic
Peninsula and we made our first landing of the day at Half Moon
Island. Again, the conditions were very calm, but it was overcast,
with light snow falling from time to time as we explored the island.
All the usual seabirds were present here, including nesting Kelp
Gulls.
We also saw our first Southern Elephant Seal, a female hauled out
on the beach below a Chinstrap Penguin rookery, and two Weddell
Seals. We often had to stop to give way to Chinstraps as they made
their way at a leisurely pace to and from the rookeries on the higher
parts of the island.
From
Half Moon Island the Ioffe cruised to the Aitcho Islands for what
would be our last shore landing.
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Female
elephant seal
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Elephant
Seals
Having landed, we enjoyed close views of eighteen Southern Elephant
Seals, including a huge male who was keeping a close eye on his
harem of females.
These animals are a pinkish-brown colour and the males have hugely
inflated noses. Elephant Seals are enormous: males may be over 18'
in length and weigh over 7000 lbs, whereas females are about a third
shorter, though still weighing up to 1600 lbs.
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Bull
elephant seal
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Whilst
the Zodiacs were driven to the other side of the island to collect
us we took the now customary walk up to the top of the glacier.
Among the birds nesting here were Southern Giant Petrels and Subantarctic
Skuas as well as several Gentoo and Chinstrap Penguin rookeries.
The Aitcho Archipelago
Once more we took in the spectacular scenery of sheer cliffs, glaciers
and icebergs and agreed that this unnamed island in the Aitcho archipelago
was as beautiful a place as Peterman Island and Paradise Harbour
in the Antarctic Peninsula.
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Paradise
Harbour
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So
it was with rather mixed feelings that we climbed on to the Zodiac
for the last time and made our way back to the Ioffe. Before climbing
the gangway to wash our boots in the "mud room", however,
we undertook a leisurely circumnavigation of one of the huge tabular
blue icebergs near the ship.
Grounded in 1200' of water the iceberg was easily 200' high and
750 yards in length and breadth. The caves in its cliff-like sides
and the clearly visible strata in many shades of blue provided a
final opportunity for the photographers to add to their collections
of memorable images of this truly amazing wild place.
Days
9 & 10 - Drake Passage and
Cape Horn »
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